Rose Petals
by Rointheta
Summary: Rose has wanted something to happen between her and the Doctor for ages, but when he suddenly turns into quite the romantic, she can't help but be suspicious. Did something happen to him during their visit to an alien planet?
1. The Wish

**Beta**: resile

**Prompted by**: alwaysthemothers on tumblr who wanted me to write something about the Virgin ad where David Tennant dances around in a shower of rose petals.  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Doctor Who. I just like to torture the characters and the readers.

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**1. THE WISH**

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"...and _that's_ why this town is called Heeeeeyooooooaaaargh!"

Rose jumped forward and peered over the edge of deep ditch the Doctor had just fallen into, grinning as she found him looking unharmed–albeit soaking wet and with his hair full of twigs. "And how many o's would that be, then?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Grumbling under his breath, he grabbed a thick root growing in the side of the ditch, pulled himself up to stand and climbed up to the road. "Well, I need a shower and a change of clothes. Eugh, look at that." He held out his arms in front of him, sleeves stained and soggy. "I'm soaked through! Glad I didn't wear my coat today. Janis Joplin gave me that coat, you know..." He crinkled his forehead, wiggling a bit. "Huh, I…"

His eyes glazed over, lips parting, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. Rose waved her hand in front of his face, calling his name until he, a few seconds later, shook his head and smiled at her.

"You all right?"

"Yes, I–" He made a few movements reminiscent of Cassandra's samba, then reached behind him and stuck his hands down his trousers, pulling up a crushed, pink flower. "Ah."

"Oh, my god. Did you have that up your–"

"No!"

"Yeah, you did. And you _liked_ it."

He squeaked and shook his head, eyes open wide.

"You're awfully quiet. Have any more flowers up your bum, then?"

"No! Was just the one."

"Aah, so you're saying it _was_ stuck up–"

"No! It was stuck in my trousers, not..." He threw the flower over his shoulder and took a few sniffs at himself. "I'm rather smelly, aren't I?"

Rose leaned closer and breathed him in, crinkling her nose at the mouldy odour. "Yeah. C'mon, then. Let's get you into the tub."

"You're joining me?"

"What?"

He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced as he looked at the leafy muck caught between his fingers. "To the TARDIS." He bent over and wiped his hand on the grassy shoulder of the road. "You're joining me to the TARDIS?"

"Yeah, 'course. It's not like I'm gonna go to...uhm… Heeeyyooo–

"Heburgh." He giggled and grabbed her hand, turning them around to walk back to the TARDIS. "It's not _really_ called Heeeeeyooooooaaaargh."

"Yeah, I know. Was just trying to be funny."

"And funny you were!" He beamed, swinging their hands back and forth between them. "Didn't you hear me laughing?"

"If you meant giggling then, yeah, I heard you."

"Time Lords do _not_ giggle, Rose. It was a very manly sort of laugh."

She nodded, holding in her laughter. "Okay, yeah. My mistake. You're very manly, Doctor."

"You think so?"

"Uhm… I..."

His eyes flitted over her face, brows drawn together. "I know I'm not _as_ manly anymore, what with the lack of leather jackets, boots, and all. But you like the suit, don't you? It's just a different sort of manly. Actually, on Kostyvore 14 there's nothing more manly than a pinstriped suit. Granted, to eat, but still!"

"To _eat_?"

"Yep. They think that tearing a suit apart with their teeth and chewing, swallowing, _digesting_ it–zipper, buttons, and all–is the epitome of manliness."

"You're not going to eat your suit, right, Doctor?"

"What? Of course not. Why would I wanna do that?" he asked, holding the door to the TARDIS open for her with his free hand.

"To prove your manliness, apparently," she said, walking up the ramp.

"Oh, I don't need to–" His abrupt stop made her turn around, and she found him working his lips, no sound coming out. He swallowed. "Do I...need to prove my manliness?"

She took a step forward, grabbed his chin in a firm grip, and angled his head toward the light. He blinked at her, but his lips curved into a smile, and she took a few seconds to inspect his eyes. "Did you hit your head? Are you feeling all right?"

"Me? Oh, I'm feeling brilliant. Never better!"

"Yeah?" She let go of his face and poked him in the chest. "Then go have a bath. You stink, remember?"

"Yes, can't have that!" He held up a finger, smiling. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a tick."

Watching him leave the room, Rose scratched her head, shook it, and settled down on the jump seat. She kept a stack of magazines in a compartment under the console, and chose one covering the latest in popular science from Vurghan, a planet they visited the week prior. She'd engaged herself in an article about an aphrodisiac pollen, and its lingering effect on the now amorous populace, when the Doctor announced his arrival in the console room with a loud 'tadaaa'.

She looked up from her magazine, blinking in surprise at the vision before her. "Your suit is blue."

"Yep! You like it?" He sniffed and ran his hands down the jacket. "Think it's pretty smart."

"Your suit is _blue_."

"Well, none of my brown suits were clean, so I'm taking this one out for a spin. Reckon it's–"

"It's tight. Really, really tight." She tilted her head to the side, biting her lip as she stared at the fabric straining over his chest, and the slight gaps between the buttons. "Are you, uhm, comfortable in that?"

His face fell. "You don't like it."

She smiled and put her magazine back into the compartment. "I like it just fine, Doctor. Was just surprised, all right? I'm so used to seeing you in pinstripes."

"But this _has_ pinstripes! Look!" He moved close to her, lifted up his arm under her nose, and pointed at the fine, red lines on his sleeve.

She nodded to feign interest. "Oh, look at that."

"Yep. They're red. Like a rose!"

"Uhm… 'Kay… That's–" She searched for words for a second or two, but came up short and shrugged. "Anyway, ready to go pick up that transo-thing or whatever?"

"Yep! Allons-y!"

They strolled back to Heburgh, this time without anyone falling into a ditch, picked up the transmo-whatever-it-was-called, and spent the rest of the day wandering about town. They managed to stay out of trouble until they visited a museum, and something shiny caught the Doctor's attention. After casting a few quick glances left and right, he rushed closer and started fiddling with the object. It let out a quiet beep and a small cloud of dust erupted from its top. The Doctor opened his mouth and sucked in a big breath, coughing a bit as he inhaled the substance.

She tugged at his sleeve, looking around to make sure no one had noticed him. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, this is a Thampulian urn full of mindcontrol pollen. This artifact's been–incorrectly of course–labelled as a Vampushian vase. Easy mistake to make, I suppose. When you're not as brilliant as I am! Luckily, this lot's not opened it. I just did and inhaled the pollen. It's too weak to affect my superior physiology. But for a human? Make someone inhale that and you'd have yourself a willing slave."

"Oh, my god. Did I inhale any of it?"

"Nah. I sucked it all in." He patted his chest. "No problemo, Rose Tyler. Besides..." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Would it be so bad to be my slave?"

She gave him a soft whack on his arm. "Are you sure I didn't inhale any of it?"

He beamed, leaning forward a bit and tilting his head from side to side. "Absotutely!"

"Abso– And you're sure it doesn't affect you?"

"Yep!"

"'Kay… Should we tell someone, then?"

"Well, it's empty now, so all I need to do now is write them a little note and put it in their suggestion box. Well, I say suggestion box, but it's really a computer terminal–"

"Oh, like the one on New Earth?"

"Yes, exa–" He swallowed, eyes locked on hers. "Yes… That was quite the day, hm?"

"Uhm… Yeah. Healed all those people." She waved her hand, motioning to him to go on. "And…?"

He smiled and broke eye contact, tongue touching the roof of his mouth. "Weeeell…"

She shuffled to the side to catch his eye. "The computer terminal?"

"Oh." He frowned. "Yes. Well."

"Oh, my god. You _are_ affected, aren't you? Is there an antidote? A cure?"

"No, no. I'm fine. Dandy. Peachy. A-OK!" He clapped his hands together, then pointed at the direction of the exit. "I'll just write them a digital note, letting them know they've got it all wrong. And then we can be on our merry way."

"Okay! Good. Maybe we can eat something before we head back to the TARDIS? I'm–" Her stomach let out a loud rumble and she grinned. "Suppose that spoke for itself."

"Sure did!" He proffered her his arm and she looped hers around it. "I know just the place."

The Doctor led her out of town and down a cobbled road to a square at the base of a mountain. As far as Rose could see, the buildings contained nothing but small hole-in-the-wall restaurants without much room for tables and chairs. Instead, spread out on benches around a large fountain at the center of the square, the patrons sat munching down fast food. Mouthwatering smells wafted up to the Doctor and Rose, starting up the rumbling in her stomach again. She licked her lips and tugged him with her as she ran the remaining distance. They took a lap, browsing the menus written on chalkboards hanging on the facades, and stopped at a little place specialising in vegetarian food.

Waiting for their vegetable tacos, they stepped outside, leaned against the wall and watched children balancing on the edge of fountain, tossing coins into it. A short moment later, the woman behind the counter called out to Rose and she went inside, grabbing their napkin-wrapped food. Chopped greens, blue cheese crumbles, and a creamy, pale yellow sauce spilled onto her fingers as she manouvered her way back to the Doctor. She nibbled on her tacos, trying not to dribble all over herself, whilst he chomped down his in a few large bites and licked his fingers with great care, shadowing his eyes with his other hand and peering up at the large, dark grey mass before them.

"Is the ice cream parlor still up there?" he asked a man sitting down on a fold out chair, catching some sun.

"Sure is! You know about our tradition, I take it?"

"Yep! Was planning on following it."

"What tradition's that, then?" Rose asked.

"First you eat something from one of these," the man said, gesturing at the restaurants, "or if you have some sort of disdain for fast food–which I, for the life of me, can't understand how anyone could–you can always visit one of the proper places in town. But! That's not the tradition. You're supposed to stuff yourself with something greasy and fattening, you know? Anyway, once you've eaten you climb up the mountain for your dessert. It's made from the cream of mountain cows, and from berries and herbs only growing up there. That ice cream don't ship nowhere. Wanna eat it? You go on and climb that mountain."

"Is it good?"

"Best damned ice cream this side of the Sleepstar Galaxy. And I'm not just saying that 'cause I've got personal interest. Cousin of mine owns the place, see." The man winked. "But the best part, you know what that is? When you buy your ice cream you get a token that you're supposed to flip into this fountain right here and make a wish. Always come true."

Rose chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Oh, for sure! Every single time."

"That sounds lovely. Might have a wish or two… Never climbed a mountain, though."

"Oh, Rose. There are steps. They would never be able to build a business if people had to actually climb they mountain. They're right there behind those trees." The Doctor moved to stand behind her and took her hand, pointing at a trail leading into a small patch of wilderness. "Wanna go?"

"Yeah, sure."

By the time they reached the plateau where they ice cream parlor stood, halfway up the mountain, Rose's thighs burned and her legs trembled, pulse racing. The Doctor had asked her several times if she needed a push, and he'd even, with a very smug grin on his face, offered to carry her. She'd mock-glared at him, declined his help and, although she had to grab the railing and pull herself up the last few steps, made it all they way up on her own by sheer stubbornness. She let out a triumphant shout and stumbled out on the grass, one hand fumbling in the air after the Doctor. Feeling the soft cotton of his suit jacket, she grabbed ahold of him and tugged him closer to lean on him for a moment and catch her breath.

"Well done."

"Told-told you I could do it."

"You did," he said, stroking circles on her back. "Find somewhere to sit down. I'll go get us our treats and the tokens."

"Yeah, all right. Cheers."

She dragged herself to an empty bench nearby and kicked off her trainers, rubbing her throbbing feet and looking at the other people enjoying their ice creams. The people at the square had looked human to her, but here she noticed several with skin in different shades of purple with scales running from ridges on top of their heads down their bare backs. The Doctor had told her, before he fell into the ditch, that a group of 30th century Europeans found and colonised this planet centuries ago. They mapped out the continents and divided them into countries named after places on Earth, making Heburgh the capital of a rocky little nation called New Germany.

"Here we go!" The Doctor beamed at her as he took the empty spot beside her, handing her a cone with a smooth, pink swirl, a dollop of whipped cream, pastel coloured sprinkles, and a seafoam green berry on top.

"Oh, this looks _gorgeous_."

She took a long lick from the bottom of the swirl, up over the toppings, and hummed as she swallowed. The flavour reminded her of strawberries with a splash of lemon juice, sweet and tart, and her tongue darted out for another taste. She'd eaten half of her ice cream when she noticed the Doctor staring at her.

"What…?"

"You have a little something…" Leaning forward, he swirled his tongue over her nose.

She recoiled with a yelp as she felt him prod her nostril, wiping her nose with her sleeve, laughing. "Doctor, you can't just lick me in the nose!"

"But you had ice cream–"

"Then get me a napkin."

"But perfectly good ice cream would go to waste. The best damned ice cream this side of the Sleepstar Galaxy–and, no, he wasn't just saying that. It's true!"

"You know, sometimes I forget that you're an alien. 'Cause, dunno, you're just a bloke to me–"

He peered at her, lips quirked. "I'm just a bloke?"

She gave him a gentle push. "You know what I mean. But then you do something like this, and…" She grinned, shaking her head at him. "Next time, just give me a napkin, all right?"

"Yep."

"Good." She returned her attention to the ice cream, careful not to smear it on her nose, or anywhere else on her body. "So that purple lot, are they the indigenous people?"

"Yep! The Pintosi."

"How come I didn't see them in town?"

"Oh, they're telepaths. Gets a bit noisy for them. Humans aren't very good at shielding their thoughts, so–"

"What d'you mean? They can read my mind?!"

"Oh, no-no. It all becomes white noise to them, and they can't really discern anything as long as it's a group of humans. Still a bit annoying for them, though. So, they live in the mountains, in the woods. Sometimes they come here for the ice cream. It really is the best. And this isn't too many people," he said, gesturing around them. "It's manageable for them, short periods of time."

"But… You're, uhm, you're not– You and me are alone all the time. Can you…" She swallowed. "You can't, right? I thought-I thought it had to be some sort of...uhm..." she said, gesturing around her temples.

His leaned in closer, eyes twinkling. "Oooh, you, Rose Tyler, are _blushing_."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are."

She fanned her face with her hand. "No, just flushed after all those steps!"

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded, face splitting into a smug grin. "What are you hiding, then? What's so embarrassing, hm? What's gotten you all–"

"Oh, you can't." She breathed out in relief and ate the last bit of her waffle cone, talking with her mouth full. "You need to do the temple thing, right?"

"Close. I'm a touch telepath. So I need physical contact, in one way or another, to make a connection."

She froze, his thigh pressing against hers, scorching, and she scooted away from him, but he just laughed at her and shook his head.

"Oh, Rose. First of all, you're human. I'd need to focus and, yes, it's easier when I touch your temples–and I definitely need bare skin. Secondly, you'd feel it. I've never read your mind, and I never will." He tilted his head to the side, observing her. "Or, well, at least not–"

"So, humans just stole their planet, then? Just pushed them aside?" she asked, shying away from his intense stare.

He blinked and leaned back. "Eeh… Yes, but that's humans for you. They're living peacefully side by side now, though, and have been for, oh, two hundred years. There's even some interspecies mating."

"Really? Wonder what that's like... Shagging a telepath. Must be–" She pressed her lips together, tongue feeling thick, dry, and clumsy in her mouth. "Uh, I– Uhm, I mean, I… Dunno. Maybe? Not really something I've been thinking about a whole lot," she said, brushing a few crumbs off her jeans.

"No?"

"So, what, uhm, what– They did interspecies mating, right, so what happens with the children?" she asked, cheeks burning. "Are they telepathic as well?"

"Eeh…" He stared at her for a few seconds, then shook himself out of it. "Yes. Some are. More often than not. Give it a few thousand years and they're all telepaths. Humans and Pintosi have similar enough mating rituals, and luckily they can bond so there's been, and will be, quite a lot–"

"Bond?"

"Ah, yes. It's a permanent telepathic connection with their mate. For the Pintosi it's unbreakable and lasts until one of them dies. And they can never re-bond with anyone. They can still have a relationship, of course, but they can only bond once."

"But what's it mean?"

"Oh. Well, they're constantly sharing a consciousness, and they don't wear any symbols to prove their marital status, like humans with their rings, instead the bond serves as a, well, a mark. Any telepathic lifeform will know they're taken and…"

"Could you? I mean, can you see which of them…?"

"I would, if I were to...ehm, initiate courtship."

Rose chuckled. "Initiate courtship? You mean if you'd chat up one of 'em?"

"Ehm… No. Telepathic species rarely have casual… Er, unless they have very strong shields. We, ehm, we take intimacy very seriously."

"Oh. Oooh, I get it..." Nodding to herself, she chewed on her lip. Thousands of questions whirled around in her mind–most of them regarding him, his species, and how _their_ mating worked–but he'd been more open with her than usual and, instead of pushing her luck, she stood up from the bench. "All right! Let's head back, then? We have a wish to make, yeah?"

"Yep!"

Once they'd reached the fountain, the Doctor pulled the two tokens out of his pocket and handed her one. She took a look around, noticing how the other people did it: some kissed the token, others turned around and flipped it over their shoulder. She took a deep breath and held it as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the round, metal plate, repeating in her mind a wish for the Doctor to start noticing her in _that_ way. Opening her eyes, she tossed the token into the fountain and ran forward a few steps to watch it hit the water with a soft splash.

"So, what did you wish for?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna tell you that!"

"Fair enough."

"Did you wish for something?"

"Oh, I did."

"I hope yours come true."

He held out his hand for her to take. "Oh, I do, too. C'mon, let's go back."

The sun began its descent as they did their walk, and soon only a sliver of light shone at the horizon. Bragging about his night vision, he tucked her closer to his side and chose a shortcut through a park. Their shoulders and hips bumped together as they rushed forward, her heart fluttering from being so close to him. He smelled sweet and spicy, like cardamom biscuits dipped in tea, and just a hint of the ice cream they had earlier, and she breathed him in, rather than enjoying the fragrant whiffs of night blossoms. Once they reached the TARDIS, he unlocked the door and held it open for her with a slight bow.

"Cheers." She gave him a curious look, but he just beamed at her. "I'm knackered. Think I'm gonna head to bed right away, actually."

"All right."

He grabbed her hand again and walked beside her to her room.

"Uhm… What…? I'm going to bed."

"Yep. I heard you."

"Oh. Well… Here we are," she said, stopping outside her bedroom door.

"Yep. Here we are."

"Good night, Doctor."

"Good night, Rose."

He regarded her for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Her breath hitched, arms hanging by her sides. They never hugged good night. She felt him stiffen, so she rushed to return the embrace and smiled as she heard him hum. The hug lasted a few seconds longer than usual and, once he released her, turned around, and headed down the corridor, she leaned against the coral wall, heart racing in her chest, cheeks flushed, and watched him leave.

She drew in a shuddering breath and pushed herself off the wall as soon as he'd moved out of sight.

The wishing fountain… No, it couldn't. Right? No. Shaking her head at her foolishness, Rose opened her bedroom door and stepped inside.

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_tbc_


	2. The Bug

**beta: **resile

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**2. THE BUG**

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Every morning the Doctor either woke Rose up or, more often, waited for her in the console room. Today he did neither. For the first time in a long time, she prepared and ate her breakfast alone; although, she sat at the table for thirty minutes reading a magazine before getting to it. She sighed, tidied up after herself, and went on a search. After looking through all his usual hiding places without any luck, she stared at the corridor leading to his bedroom. He'd shown her that door early on and made it clear that she could use whatever room she wanted except his, and that an emergency would be the only reason for knocking on it. He valued his privacy; she'd respected that, and had never set foot inside his room; however, she'd been awake for hours without a sight of him and, considering his unusual behaviour yesterday, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

She nodded to herself, headed down the corridor, and knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked harder. Still nothing. Biting her thumb nail, she debated with herself whether she should try to turn the knob, and stood so deep in thought she didn't notice the door opening until the Doctor stepped through it. She jumped back and touched her chest, breathing out a curse.

"God, you scared me. What—" She furrowed her brow, eyes roving over him. He ruffled his already messy hair, stretched his pyjama clad body and yawned, lazy smile spreading on his somewhat puffy face. "Doctor, are you sick?"

"Sick? No. Just needed a bit of sleep."

"D'you even know what time it is?"

"Ehm…" He scrunched up his nose, eyes directed at the ceiling as he thought. "Oh, it's past noon for you. I'm starved! Let's get some brekkie. Or lunch? Afternoon tea? No, it's a bit too early for that. Hm–"

"You sure you're feeling all right?" She reached out to press the inside of her wrist against his forehead, but he staggered back. "Stop being a baby. S'okay to be sick. Even for a Time Lord." She frowned at him and moved forward, trapping him between herself and the wall, repeating her action. "Your temperature feels normal. And you look fine. How's your throat?"

"Fine. I'm fine." He sidestepped her, rubbing at his neck and walking down the corridor.

"Doctor? You're in your jimjams."

He stopped. "Oh. Right. Yes. I'll…" He turned around and walked back to the door. "Meet me in the galley in ten?"

She grabbed his hand to stop him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just haven't slept in quite some time, so I overdid it and now I feel a bit…disoriented. That's all." He gave her hand a squeeze. "All right?"

She nodded and he stepped back inside his room, but instead of waiting for him in the galley, she leaned against the wall, fingers fiddling with one hoop earring. Besides the regeneration coma, she'd never seen him unwell. She'd had a few colds, an alien disease or two, and a stomach bug, but he'd nursed her through it all without ever being ill himself. She'd even seen him break down poison on a few occasions without suffering any effects. She relaxed. He only felt sluggish because he'd overslept; she got like that as well when she lay in bed for too long.

He returned a few minutes later wearing his blue suit and a focussed expression, hair damp and looking as though he'd not bothered to do anything but run his fingers through it. His set jaw and knitted brow softened when he saw her standing in the corridor.

She offered him a small smile, searching his eyes to suss out his mood. "Feel better?"

"Yep! A shower did the trick. C'mon, then," he said, nodding at the direction of the galley.

Out of reflex, she moved her hand to grab his, but met nothing but air. She glanced at him through the corner of her eye and noticed he'd shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. Turning her eyes forward, she swallowed and followed his example. He didn't speak during their walk or as they cooked and ate lunch and, since he had a faraway look in his eyes, she let him ponder in peace. He'd be back to his chatty self as soon as he'd solved his dilemma.

* * *

**.**

* * *

They'd landed outside a small village on a lush planet and had spent the afternoon helping farmers getting rid of an alien vermin eating all their produce. The Doctor's mood had soon brightened and, although he'd kept some distance, they'd had fun, bantering as they built several scarecrow-like contraptions to place in the fields. However, as night fell, so did heavy rain and, since they still had work to do and it would take them an hour to walk back to the TARDIS, the village chief gave them his spare room for the night. The Doctor had thanked him and accepted–albeit with some hesitancy–and his mulling had returned as soon as they'd closed the door behind them.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, sitting on the bed, back against the wall.

He stopped his pacing and turned his head to look at her, brow knitted. "Oh, you're up."

"Yeah. Difficult to fall asleep with you walking about the room, yeah?"

"Oh."

She patted the mattress beside her. "Doctor, come here. Please tell me what's wrong."

"No, it's…" He scrunched up his face and gestured around his head. "I've caught a...bug. A bug."

"A bug? So you _are_ sick, then?"

"Yes! Sick. I'm sick. That's why I slept for so long. My body is trying to...flush it out. The bug."

"Would sleep help?"

"Yes. No! No. We shouldn't share a bed. Ehm. In case you… Obviously, you've not… That's to say, you're safe as long as we don't…" He gestured back and forth between them. "We– I shouldn't be… Just go to sleep, Rose. I can fight it, if I just–" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't need sleep to fight it. I just need to focus."

"Oh. All right. I'll go to sleep, then. I'd give you a hug, but–"

"Yeah, better not."

"Yeah. Feel better." She gave him a smile and slipped under the covers, turning onto her side, back to him.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Rose kept an eye on him the next day. Although he didn't sweat, nor have a sallow face, his energy had dwindled and he, besides fighting whatever he'd caught, focused solely on the task at hand. They finished their work later that afternoon, but declined their host's offer to stay for supper, and went back to the TARDIS. They hadn't walked far when the Doctor stumbled forward and she darted closer, jumping in front of him and grabbing his hands to steady him.

"Doctor?"

"I…" He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning on her, head hanging. "It's…" His hands slid down her arms, around her back, and he held her close, panting into her ear. He shuddered, a tremble running through his body and into hers, and she shuddered as well. "I think it's… Rose!" His grip tightened and he lifted her up, her feet kicking in the air as he spun her around. "All gone!" He put her down again, beaming. "All better! No more bug! Clean bill of health!"

"Really? You just…" She shook her head and shrugged, brow crinkled.

"Yep! Time Lord," he said with a dramatic voice, waggling his eyebrows.

"Okay, great! What was it, then?"

"Ehm…" He tugged at his ear and pulled a face. "It was something in that...mind control pollen. An alien virus."

"Like a space flu?"

"Right-o! Just like a space flu. But I fought it and won!"

"And what about me? You did… You licked me in the nose, remember?"

"I did?" His stared at her, wide eyed, and let out a breathy chuckle. "Yes I did, didn't I? So sorry about that. I don't think I was, ehm, being myself."

"That's all right. I know how much you enjoy licking things. Uhm… Not that I think you like licking my nose! That's– I feel fine, though. Don't feel sick at all."

"I can check. Lemme just…" He stepped closer and burrowed his face into her hair, breathing her in. "Mmm. Yes! You're fine. More than fine. Fit as a fiddle! Healthy as a kernel of a nut!"

"As a what?"

"Oh, it's an expression." He sniffed. "In some parts of the world. Anyway, let's go back to the TARDIS and go somewhere for take out! I think I fancy pizza. What d'you say? You, me, pizza, telly?" He held his hand out, wiggling his fingers.

"Yeah. Sounds good," she said, smiling as she took his proffered hand, swinging their arms between them as they walked back to the time ship.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Rose sat curled up in her end of the sofa, pizza slice in her hand, and a steaming cuppa at the table in front of her. On the projector screen, a lavender-coloured alien told the man she had an affair with about their secret love child, but Rose only had eyes and ears for the Doctor, because he'd just asked her how she ended up dating Mickey. They'd talked about the alien species in the soap and how different their courting rituals were to those of humans, so the segue had been natural enough, but his conversational tone clashed with the curious look in his eye and she repeated his question rather than answering it.

"Yes. I'd like to know how your relationship began," he said.

"Why?"

"Why not? I know that your favourite colour is, and always has been, pink, that the only member of Take That you really fancied was Robbie Williams, that you used to smoke, that you were fourteen the first time you were drunk and that Jackie handled it a lot better than you thought she would. I know that you have a scar on your elbow after falling from a jungle gym when you were eight, and that you used to walk your friends home at night when they were scared of the dark. I know a lot of things about you, Rose Tyler, but I don't know how you and Mickey ended up dating."

"Oh. Uhm… Mickey and me have always been good mates, right, so he was always there. And after my bad breakup with Jimmy, I suppose…" She shrugged. "He's a good bloke, and I needed a good bloke."

"That's not–" He gobbled up his pizza slice, licked his fingers clean with quick swipes, and moved around, leaning against the armrest, now facing her. "We just watched the very cut-and-dried courting ritual of the Ampallas. She was married; he was not. He wanted an affair, not for her to leave her husband. So, he gave her a blue stone from the mountains, rather than a herb from the garden of his home, and she instantly knew what that meant. And that's common. For many species. Waggle your tail feathers this way means you want an offspring; waggle your tail feathers that way means you want to bond for life–"

"Like the, uhm, the…" She snapped her fingers, searching her memory. "The Pintosi."

"Yes, among other species. With humans, however, it's all very complicated, isn't it? You dance around one another without ever knowing what anything means. Two people can flirt and still have very different intentions. You flirt for a laugh, for a shag, for a relationship, or just as friends. And sometimes–no, many times–the recipient's intention doesn't match yours, although she or he reciprocates. You don't have cut-and-dried courting rituals."

"Okay… I don't– I'm sorry, what's the question?"

"The question is: how did Mickey manage to make you realise he wanted to go from friends to lovers without scaring you away?"

"Ooooh." She turned around as well, leaning forward a bit. "Why d'you wanna know, anyway?"

He sighed. "Because I can't, for the life of me, understand how Mickey the Idiot can figure out the intricate steps of that whole thing, when I, who understand the mating rituals of most species in the universe, still am quite perplexed by human courting."

She grinned at him. "You find that interesting, then, do you?"

"Of course I do. I find practically everything interesting."

"But you said… You said the Pintosi have similar rituals, yeah? If you understand those, why don't you understand ours?"

"Well, yes, that's true, but the Pintosi have very clear steps and boundaries. You lot don't. At least not…ehm…" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you trying to avoid the question?"

"Uhm, no... Okay, so we were talking about Jimmy, and I was sad. So he hugged me, Mickey did, and then he kissed me–"

"What?! That's it? He just _kissed_ you? No dinner, chocolate, flowers, or anything?"

She chuckled. "Didn't say it worked, did I?"

"Oh."

"Anyway, he, uhm, he kissed me and I kissed him back 'cause I was sad. But then it hit me how weird it was and that it wasn't Mickey I wanted to kiss, so I ran out of there. And then it was a bit...off between us for a few weeks. Think he talked to mum after that 'cause all of a sudden he asked me out, proper restaurant and all. Mickey only ever went to the pub or, like, a chippy, right, so it was… Dunno. And Jimmy never took me somewhere nice. So, I knew it was special. Made _me_ feel special. So, when he kissed me again, I didn't run away."

The Doctor nodded. "Hm. And when did he do that?"

"Uhm, kiss me? You're getting awfully specific with your questions. Shouldn't you just read a book or something? This is just my experience, Doctor. Ask someone else and–"

"Yes, yes, I know, but it's better to go straight to the source. Why read a book when you can get first hand experience?"

She blinked a few times, grinning. "Are you up to something?"

"Nope," he said, slight shake of his head. "Go on."

"Yeah, all right. He drove me home, walked me to the door and kissed me good night. And then mum opened the door and Mickey almost ran off, 'cause he thought she'd slap him. But she was so happy I'd finally come to my senses, right," she said, rolling her eyes, "that she invited him in. Then mum made great show of going to bed, really leaving us alone, and Mickey and me snogged a bit on the sofa."

"I see. Did he keep that up, then? Taking you out somewhere nice."

"Nah. Not even on special occasions. We spent our anniversary at the pub watching a game with his mates. He took me to a motor show on my birthday. Mostly we just sat in mum's flat in front of the telly."

"And then you ran away, anyway."

"Yeah, I did, huh."

"Oh!" His head snapped to the screen. "Isn't he supposed to be _dead_?"

"Uhm… Nah. That's, uhm, that's the evil twin."

"No! Really?" he asked, watching the screen with great interest.

"Yeah…" She sighed and snuggled deeper into her blanket, directing her attention back to the soap opera. "He came into town a couple of episodes ago, and now he's got his eye on the lady with the-the truuuu–" She broke out in a yawn, stretching her arms up in the air. "Trunk. The lady with the trunk. You know what, Doctor? You should get a new sofa. A bigger one we can stretch out in. Take a kip in front of the telly. Oh, those are the best, don't you reckon?"

"Weeell, I've always liked taking kips in front of the fireplace in the library. But I suppose you have a point. This is a rather small sofa."

"Yeah."

"Suppose… You could–" He cleared his throat and scratched his neck. "I mean, if you were to… There's room, if–" He patted his lap, smiling at her. "Hm?"

"Yeah?"

He nodded.

Smiling, she scooted down until she lay with her head against the armrest, placed her feet in his lap and draped the blanket over her body. "This is nice. Thanks."

"Any time," he said, resting his hands over her feet, looking at the screen. The trunk lady had just opened her door, after hearing the bell ring, and found the evil twin outside with his arms full of flowers in all the colours of the rainbow. "See!"

"What?"

"Flowers!" The Doctor pointed at the screen. "He's giving her flowers. That's one thing they have in common with humans," he said, putting his hand back, fingers running along the length of her foot. "Well, once they've made their intentions clear, that is."

"Oh," she said, mouth falling open and turning dry as she stared at his hands. She reached out for her cup and took a few sips. "Is that unusual?"

"Nope. Gifts are common. Often beautiful things from nature, whether it be a plant, a shiny gem, an egg straight from the nest, fruits or berries…" He ventured his hands up under her trouser legs, caressing her shins. "Or perhaps a raw lamb shank."

"What?"

"Different strokes for different folks." His fingers slipped under the cuffs of her socks. "On or off?"

"Uhm… O-off?"

He pulled off her socks in a quick movement and resumed stroking her feet. "Did Mickey ever give you flowers?"

"Not often. But at least he did. Jimmy never… Yeah, Mickey gave me flowers a few times."

"Bet he always gave you roses, huh?"

"No! No one ever gives me roses! S'like they all assume everyone else is gonna give me roses. So I never get them! They give me tulips, and daisies, and, oh dunno, I don't remember. But never roses!"

"You've _never_ been given roses?"

"Nope."

"Not even your mother?"

"No. But that wouldn't count, would it? S'not like I want my _mum_ to give me roses."

"Would you like roses if someone else gave them to you?" he asked, rolling up her trouser legs.

She swallowed, stomach swooping as his fingers followed a path from her toes up to her knees and back again. "Yes, I… I wouldn't mind some roses now and then."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing." He giggled and tickled the back of her knees. "You have goosebumps."

"Well, yeah. It's, uhm, it's… Feels good."

"Yeah?" He ran his hands up her legs, kneading her calves on the way down.

"Yeah… Don't Time Lords have goosebumps when… Uhm… Well, when someone, or when, you know..."

He smiled, eyes following the movements of his hands. "Sure. I can control it, though. If I want."

"Why would you? It's lovely."

"Yes." He ghosted his fingertips over her skin. "Oh, there you go again."

"Doctor?" she asked, heart beating hard in her chest.

"Yes?"

"Are you…" She licked her lips, fingers toying with a strand of her hair. "Do you…"

"Do I what?"

"Uhm…" Her palms felt sweaty, cheeks flushed, and she shrugged off most of the blanket. "That fountain. Do you really believe it grants wishes?"

"Why?" He smirked. "Was this your wish?"

"No!" She let out a laugh that sounded a bit too high-pitched for her to feel comfortable. "No, I didn't… I wished something for my mum. I just… Dunno. Just got me thinking, 'cause you don't believe in superstition, but you made a wish anyway."

"Oh. Well, I find culture and tradition interesting and I enjoy partaking in it."

"Oh, right." Her smile faded. "You do, huh? How did you put it? To Adam. Throw yourself in there…?"

"You've got to throw yourself in, eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers."

"Yeah. You mean like that?"

He chuckled. "Something like that, yes. And it's for a good cause."

"Really? He didn't say anything about that, though. That man."

"No, he wouldn't. It's one of their best kept secrets. You pay extra for the tokens and that money goes to charity."

"Why's that a secret?"

"Because people are more inclined to buy something that grants wishes than pay extra because of a charity they don't care about."

"That's awful."

"Well, that's the way things go, I suppose. Did I ever tell you about that hamburger chain that didn't actually use beef in their patties? Most popular chain on that whole planet. Doublemeat Palace–well, that's the name of the chain, not the-the planet–and not one item on that menu contained meat. Only processed vegetables."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. When word got out, they went bankrupt. People went on and on about how they'd always known, because that meat tasted fishy–"

"I think you mean vegetable...y."

"Ah, yes. The old word 'vegetabely' Never hear that nowadays, do you?"

"Shut up." She poked him in the side with her toe.

He tugged her foot back to his lap, stroking it. "And… Well, I thought you'd like it."

"The… Oh."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. I did. Was lovely. I really had fun that whole day."

"Me too."

"But…" Her face split into a grin. "I think the best part was you falling into that ditch, actually."

"Oh, I agree."

"What?"

"Of course! Who knows what would've happened had I not fallen into that ditch. Don't you ever think about things like that? How life would change if you'd made another choice."

"You chose to fall into that ditch, then?"

He rolled his eyes at her and tickled her between her toes, she giggled and aimed a few gentle kicks at him, hitting him in the ribs.

"Watch it." He grabbed her feet, peering at her over the rim of his glasses, eyes twinkling. "I'll bite your toes if you keep kicking me."

A jolt shot through her and she stared at him, pulse quickening. "Wha'?"

His smile faded, eyes widening as though what he'd said just dawned on him. "D'you ever think about where you'd be if you hadn't brought that arm home," he said, turning his head to watch the soap, fingers stroking her soles. "We'd never have met again."

"You think so? Nah. Word on the street is that I'm so jeopardy friendly, right, I reckon it would've happened sooner or later anyway."

His smile returned, but he didn't meet her eye. "Yeah?"

"Yeah…" She nibbled at her thumbnail and reached out for her cup, hiding behind it. "I refuse to believe there's a time line where… Where I didn't come with you."

His hands stilled and he sat quiet for a moment before turning to her, soft smile playing on his lips. "I do, too. You know… If you want, you could take a kip. I'll wake you up later. I'll-I'll keep…" He skated his hands up her legs and down again to make his point. "If you want."

"Okay," she said, beaming.

She pulled up her blanket, snuggled back under it and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her skin and the sensation of all kinds of flutters in her stomach.

* * *

_tbc_


End file.
